Due to copyright issues, an electronic copy of the thesis must be ordered from the faculty. For the faculty to have time to process the order, the order must be received by the faculty at the latest 2 days before the public defence. Orders received later than 2 days before the defence will not be processed. After the public defence, please address any inquiries regarding the thesis to the candidate.
Trial Lecture – time and place
See Trial Lecture.
Adjudication committee
- First opponent: Professor Pär Stättin, Uppsala University,
- Second opponent: Associate professor Line Veronika Hjelle, UiT - The Arctic University of Norway,
- Third member and chair of the evaluation committee: Professor Tormod Rogne, University of Oslo
Chair of the Defence
Professor Viktor Berge, University of Oslo
Principal Supervisor
Tor Åge Myklebust, Cancer Registry of Norway, Norwegian Institute of Public Health
Summary
Prostate cancer is the most common type of cancer among Norwegian men, with over 5200 new cases in Norway in 2024. Men with early-stage prostate cancer often have several treatment options available. The different modalities induce different adverse health outcomes, and thus many patients may face a difficult treatment decision. There is limited population-based evidence about post-treatment adverse health outcomes in non-metastatic prostate cancer patients undergoing modern curative treatment. This knowledge is important to help patients and doctors make the best treatment decision.
The aim of this patient-reported population-based survey was to describe prostate cancer patients’ experience with shared decision making, and to assess adverse health outcomes and quality of life, three years after modern prostate cancer treatment. The findings were compared with age-similar men without a history of prostate cancer.
Three years after radical prostatectomy, we documented a prevalence of pad use in 41 % of the patients, compared to 5 % in age-similar men. In total, 84 % reported erectile dysfunction three years after radical prostatectomy, compared to 48 % in age-similar men. Three years after high-dose radiation therapy combined with hormone therapy, we documented clinically important lower bowel, and sexual domain mean scores in prostate cancer patients compared to age-similar men. Despite large differences in function, we found little variation in quality of life. We also documented that 78 % of the prostate cancer patients wanted to be involved in shared decision making, and that 83 % of these patients experienced being involved.
Overall, our findings show that three out of four Norwegian men want to be involved in the treatment decision. We also show that persisting adverse health outcomes are common, despite continuous development in prostate cancer treatment. The results might raise questions about how prostate cancer treatment is carried out in practice in Norway.
Additional information
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